Parents arrested after toddler found dead in car seat inside Dalton home

Written by: A. Smith

Published September 23, 2025 @ 7:06 AM ET

WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. – Two Dalton parents are facing murder charges after their 22-month-old son died in June when he was left unattended and strapped in a car seat inside the family’s apartment, police said.

The Dalton Police Department arrested Kirsten Schmitt, 26, and Anthony Pedigo, 30, on Monday. Both are charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children in the death of their son, Grayson Pedigo.

Police said Schmitt and Pedigo routinely buckled their son into a car seat and left him on the floor to watch television while they were home. On June 5, Schmitt told investigators she was with her son until she went to wake Pedigo for work. The pair remained in the bedroom for 30 to 40 minutes, according to a police press release.

When they returned to the living room, they found Grayson unresponsive and called 911. Officers responded to the home on Gregory Place around 4 p.m. The toddler was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators said Grayson’s injuries were consistent with the car seat belt and buckle being wrapped around his neck.

The case remained under investigation throughout the summer. On Friday, detectives and the District Attorney’s Office agreed there was enough evidence to pursue charges.

According to a public GoFundMe page created by Pedigo’s mother, Wendi Pedigo, Anthony Pedigo was working two jobs so Schmitt could stay home and care for their older son, who was paralyzed from the waist down due to severe spina bifida. She wrote that Grayson’s death was unexpected and that the couple had been grieving his loss. Grayson would have turned 2 in August.

Schmitt and Pedigo are being held without bond at the Whitfield County Jail.